Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania files two parallel reporting streams: CPS reports (child protective services, ~41,000 in CY2024) and General Protective Services reports (~176,000 in CY2024, covering broader child welfare concerns). Only the CPS stream is submitted to NCANDS. Figures on this page reflect the CPS stream. Pennsylvania is one of four states whose screening data was excluded from national estimates in Child Maltreatment 2023 (with New Jersey, New York, and North Dakota).
The funnel, FFY 2024
Pennsylvania vs. national
What happened to reports of child maltreatment in Pennsylvania in federal fiscal year 2024, at each decision point. Rates are what make states comparable; raw counts mostly measure population.
| Stage | Pennsylvania | Rate | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Referrals to CPSCounts: referrals | 40,455 | Not reported | 59.3 |
| Screened in (became reports)Counts: referrals | 40,455100.0% of referrals | — | 47.1% |
| Screened outCounts: referrals | Not reported | — | 52.9% |
| Children investigated or given an alternative responseCounts: children | 40,078 | 15.2per 1,000 children | 40.6 |
| Child victims (substantiated or indicated)Counts: children | 4,516 | 1.7per 1,000 children | 7.2 |
| Child fatalitiesCounts: children | 71 | 2.7per 100,000 children | 2.41 |
Referrals, reports, children, and victims are four different denominators and are not interchangeable. A referral may concern more than one child; a child may appear in more than one referral; a victim is a child with a substantiated or indicated disposition. National figures are the Children's Bureau's own estimates, not sums of the state rows.
Source: Child Maltreatment 2024 (NCANDS), Tables 2-3, 3-1, 3-3, 4-1
What Pennsylvania does not report
A figure Pennsylvania did not report is shown as a labeled gap everywhere it would appear on this site — never as a zero, never as a blank cell. A state that does not report a number has not achieved zero of it.
- Referral rate · counts per 1,000 childrenNot reportedFFY 2024
- Screened out · counts referralsNot reportedFFY 2024
- General Protective Services reports — roughly 176,000 in CY2024, more than four times the CPS volume — are not submitted to NCANDS at all. Every Pennsylvania figure on this page describes only the CPS stream.
- Pennsylvania could not provide both screened-in and screened-out referral counts, so it was excluded from the national screening estimates in Child Maltreatment 2024.
Maltreatment and fatalities over time (NCANDS)
Child fatalities reported to NCANDS, Pennsylvania, FFY2020 to FFY2024
Source: Child Maltreatment 2024 (NCANDS)
KARA VerifiedChild Maltreatment 2024 (NCANDS)FFY 2024Counts: child fatalities
Child maltreatment victims, Pennsylvania, FFY2020 to FFY2024
Source: Child Maltreatment 2024 (NCANDS)
KARA VerifiedChild Maltreatment 2024 (NCANDS)FFY 2024Counts: child victims (substantiated or indicated)
Foster care (AFCARS)
| Measure | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adopted with public agency involvement | 1,892 | 1,849 | 1,832 | 1,917 | 2,077 | 2,628 | 2,849 | 2,087 | 2,214 | 2,184 |
| Entered foster care | 9,788 | 10,946 | 11,290 | 10,899 | 10,998 | 10,155 | 9,528 | 7,254 | 7,434 | 6,961 |
| Exited foster care | 8,686 | 9,455 | 9,307 | 9,736 | 9,661 | 9,931 | 10,058 | 8,062 | 7,803 | 7,617 |
| In foster care on September 30 | 14,270 | 14,838 | 16,081 | 16,086 | 16,891 | 16,566 | 15,526 | 14,354 | 13,654 | 12,465 |
| Children served in foster care | 22,955 | 24,293 | 25,388 | 25,822 | 26,552 | 26,497 | 25,584 | 22,416 | 21,456 | 20,082 |
| Termination of parental rights | 1,246 | 1,210 | 1,403 | 1,612 | 2,068 | 2,256 | 1,958 | 1,768 | 1,771 | 1,794 |
| Waiting for adoption | 1,909 | 1,896 | 2,425 | 3,092 | 3,711 | 3,763 | 3,411 | 3,212 | 3,051 | 2,975 |
Source: AFCARS state tables, FY2013 to FY2022
AFCARS 2020 rule, FFY2023 to FFY2025 (preliminary)
Collected under the AFCARS 2020 final rule, first effective FFY 2023. Counts include ages 0 to 23. Figures are preliminary estimates from submissions received by February 27, 2026, and states may still revise them. This series is not comparable with the FY 2013 to FY 2022 series, which was collected under the 1993 rule and counted a narrower population; this site does not join the two. Wyoming first submitted under the new rule for FFY 2024 and Washington for FFY 2025; earlier years for those states are shown as not reported.
| Measure | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entered foster care | 6,102 | 6,204 | 6,460 |
| In foster care on September 30 | 10,919 | 10,894 | 10,865 |
| Exited foster care | 6,336 | 6,206 | 6,375 |
Counts: children (ages 0 to 23)
Source: AFCARS Dashboard, preliminary FFY2025 estimates (No. 33)
Pennsylvania in the archive
What the numbers above cost, in KARA's own reporting.
- Best and Worst States for Very Young Children in CPS: New Data on Risk, Failures, and Hope
KARA reportingMike TikkanenJune 25, 2026
This article uses NCANDS data to identify the best and worst states for very young children in CPS, highlighting where infants and toddlers face the greatest risk of severe harm or death and how troubled, overwhelmed child protection system...
- America’s Child Abuse Emergency: 546,000 Victims, 2,000 Deaths, and a System That Chooses This
KARA reportingMike TikkanenJune 6, 2026
Child abuse in the United States is not rare or random — it is the predictable outcome of policy choices. In 2023, about 546,000 children were confirmed victims of abuse or neglect and an estimated 2,000 were killed, roughly five children e...
- Part 2: The Science Behind Early Childhood Returns (ROI)
KARA reportingMike TikkanenMay 23, 2026
The extraordinary ROI of early childhood programs stems from neurobiological and economic synergy. During ages 0–5, the brain forms 1 million neural connections per second, creating foundational skills that dictate lifelong learning, health...
- Best and Worst Hospitals For U.S. Children (Beckers Hospital Review)
KARA reportingMike TikkanenApril 8, 2026
Which states give kids the best chance at a healthy life? This review ranks all 50 states and D.C. on children’s healthcare, nutrition, and oral health—and the gaps are stark.
- Child Abuse Sad Stories (4 days in October)
KARA reportingMike TikkanenOctober 9, 2025
37% of children overall and 44% of Black children are reported to child protection services in America by the time they turn 18. (American Journal of Public Health 1.17) 7.8 million children a year are reported to child protection services.
- Parental Drug Use Killing Children in Pennsylvania at High Rates (investigative report)
KARA reportingMike TikkanenMarch 5, 2025
KARA follows investigative reporting on child death and near death by caregivers while the children are known to CPS (Child Protective Services). Please send us links to the reports in your state and we will make them available to a larger ...
- There Is No Constituency For Abused & Neglected Children
KARA reportingMike TikkanenFebruary 25, 2025
how 13 Minnesota Child Advocacy Centers (CAC's) are losing 80% of their Federal funding. If this happens they will likely disappear or become a shell of what they were in a very short time. CAC's keep safe and provide services to children a...
- Child Abuse Sad Stories (4 days in November)
KARA reportingMike TikkanenNovember 24, 2024
37% of children overall and 44% of Black children are reported to child protection services in America by the time they turn 18. (American Journal of Public Health 1.17) 7.8 million children a year are reported to child protection services.